Manila, April 4 -- Seaweed farmers in Antique have received a total of PHP4.3 million in indemnity checks to compensate for crop damage caused by Typhoon Ferdie last year.

Clogene Galuego, head of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) in Antique, said in an interview on Friday that 553 farmers from the island municipality of Caluya received their indemnity checks on April 3.

"The beneficiaries are registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA)," Galuego explained, emphasizing that registration is free and serves as the basis for farmers to receive assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The PCIC, an agency under the DA, provides insurance coverage for registered farmers, with a maxi...